Bell''''s Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Norwich pdf

CHAPTER I.
CHAPTER II.
CHAPTER III.
CHAPTER IV.
CHAPTER V.
CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of
by C. H. B. Quennell
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Title: Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Norwich A Description of Its Fabric and A Brief History of
the Episcopal See
Author: C. H. B. Quennell
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Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of by C. H. B. Quennell 1
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[Illustration: Norwich Cathedral from the South-East.]
THE CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF NORWICH A DESCRIPTION OF ITS FABRIC AND A BRIEF
HISTORY OF THE EPISCOPAL SEE
BY C.H.B. QUENNELL
[Illustration: Arms of Norwich]

WITH FORTY ILLUSTRATIONS
LONDON GEORGE BELL & SONS 1898
W.H. WHITE AND CO. LIMITED RIVERSIDE PRESS, EDINBURGH
* * * * *
GENERAL PREFACE
This series of monographs has been planned to supply visitors to the great English Cathedrals with accurate
and well illustrated guide-books at a popular price. The aim of each writer has been to produce a work
compiled with sufficient knowledge and scholarship to be of value to the student of Archæology and History,
and yet not too technical in language for the use of an ordinary visitor or tourist.
To specify all the authorities which have been made use of in each case would be difficult and tedious in this
place. But amongst the general sources of information which have been almost invariably found useful
are: (1) the great county histories, the value of which, especially in questions of genealogy and local records,
is generally recognised; (2) the numerous papers by experts which appear from time to time in the
Transactions of the Antiquarian and Archæological Societies; (3) the important documents made accessible in
the series issued by the Master of the Rolls; (4) the well-known works of Britton and Willis on the English
Cathedrals; and (5) the very excellent series of Handbooks to the Cathedrals originated by the late Mr John
Murray; to which the reader may in most cases be referred for fuller detail, especially in reference to the
histories of the respective sees.
GLEESON WHITE, EDWARD F. STRANGE, Editors of the Series.
* * * * *
AUTHOR'S PREFACE
The task of writing a monograph, on such an essentially Norman Cathedral as Norwich, has been most
pleasing to one who owns to an especial fondness for that sturdy architecture which was evolved in England
during one of her stormiest epochs from the end of the eleventh till the end of the twelfth century.
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of by C. H. B. Quennell 2
I would here acknowledge indebtedness and thanks due to the Very Rev. the Dean and Mrs Sheepshanks for
the personal interest they evinced, and for his material help; to Mr J.B. Spencer, the sub-sacrist, for that help
which his intimate association with the cathedral enabled him to offer; and to Mr S.K. Greenslade for the loan
of the drawings reproduced under his name; as well as to the Photochrom Co. Ltd., Messrs S.B. Bolas & Co.,
and Mr F.G.M. Beaumont for the use of their photographs. The views of the cathedral as it appeared in the

early part of the nineteenth century are reproduced from Britton's "Norwich," and from a volume by Charles
Wild.
C.H.B.Q.
* * * * *
CONTENTS
PAGE
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of by C. H. B. Quennell 3
CHAPTER I.
History of the Fabric 3
CHAPTER I. 4
CHAPTER II.
The Cathedral Exterior 23 The Cathedral Precincts 23 The Erpingham Gate 23 St. Ethelbert's Gate and the
Gate-House 25 Chapel of St. John the Evangelist 27 The West Front of the Cathedral 28 Exterior of Nave 31
The South Transept 32 The Diocesan Registry Offices and Slype 35 The Chapter-House 36 The Tower and
Spire 36 The Eastern Arm of Cathedral or Presbytery 39 The Chapels of St. Mary-the-Less and Saint Luke 39,
40 The Jesus Chapel and Reliquary Chapel 40 The North Transept 40 The Bishop's Palace 43
CHAPTER II. 5
CHAPTER III.
The Interior 45 The Nave 45 The Choir Screen 49 The Nave Vault 50 The West Window and West Door 55
The North and South Aisles of Nave 55, 56 Monuments in Nave and Aisles of Nave 57, 58 The Cloisters 58
The Walks East, South, and West 62, 63 The Ante-choir and Choir 64 The Pelican Lectern 68 The
Presbytery 68 Reliquary Chapel 72 Monuments in the Presbytery 74 The North Transept 76 The Tower and
Triforium Walks 79 The Processional Path 79 The Jesus Chapel 83 St. Luke's Chapel 88 Treasury and
Muniment Room 88 The Bauchon Chapel 88 The South Transept 88 Monuments 91
CHAPTER III. 6
CHAPTER IV.
The Sees of the East Anglian Bishops 95
CHAPTER IV. 7
CHAPTER V.
The City 111

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE Norwich Cathedral from the South-East Frontispiece Arms of Norwich Title The Cathedral from the
South-West 2 The Cathedral in the Seventeenth Century 9 West Front of the Cathedral in 1816 15 The
Cathedral from the South-West Angle of Cloisters 22 The Erpingham Gate 24 St. Ethelbert's Gate 25 The
Gate-House of the Bishop's Palace 25 West Front of the Cathedral 28 The Clerestory and Triforium of Choir
(South Side) 32 The Tower in 1816 37 Exterior of the Chapel of St. Luke from the East 40 A Norman Capital
46 The Nave, looking East 47 The Choir Screen and Organ from the Nave 51 The North Aisle of Nave,
looking West 56 The East Walk of the Cloisters 58 The Cloisters from the Garth 59 The Prior's Door 63 The
Choir and Presbytery 65 A Stall in the Choir 67 The Choir and Presbytery in 1816 69 The Choir Stalls at the
beginning of the Nineteenth Century 70 The Choir, looking West 72 Detail of the Presbytery Clerestory and
Vaulting 74 The Choir Apse 77 Detail of the Clerestory, North Transept 80 The South Aisle of Presbytery,
looking East 81 Norman Work in the Lantern of Tower 83 The Ante-Reliquary Bridge Chapel 84 Doorway
and Screen between South Transept and Aisle of Presbytery 88 View across the Apse from the Chapel of St.
Luke 89 The Resurrection: from the Painted Retable formerly in the Jesus Chapel 93 Norwich Castle 99 The
Guildhall 103 Monument of Bishop Goldwell 107 The Pelican Lectern in the Choir 110 Pull's Ferry 112
PLAN OF THE CATHEDRAL 113
* * * * *
[Illustration: The Cathedral from the South-West.]
CHAPTER V. 8
CHAPTER I
HISTORY OF THE FABRIC OF THE CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF THE HOLY TRINITY OF NORWICH
Norwich Cathedral stands on the site of no earlier church: it is to-day, in its plan and the general bulk of its
detail, as characteristically Norman as when left finished by the hand of Eborard, the second bishop of
Norwich.
The church was founded by Herbert de Losinga, the first bishop, as the cathedral priory of the Benedictine
monastery in Norwich (a sketch of its constitution at this period will be found in the Notes on the Diocese);
the foundation-stone was laid in 1096 on a piece of land called Cowholme, meaning a pasture surrounded by
water, and the church was dedicated to the Holy Trinity.
It may be of interest to the tourist and student to review briefly what sort and manner of man Herbert the
founder was; what had been his environment prior to his appointment as the first bishop of Norwich; and what

the causes were which had as their effect the building of the cathedral.
The characteristics of the cathedral are its long nave, which is typical of the Norman church; its glorious
apsidal termination, encircled by a procession path, which recalls the plan of a French cathedral; and the form
of this, with the remains of its old bishops' chair centrally placed, and with the westward position, of the
throne at Torcello and other Italian churches, of the basilican type of plan.
Herbert, surnamed de Losinga, transferred the see from Thetford to Norwich in 1094, and it is from this
period that the history of the cathedral may be said to commence.
Herbert was a prelate of a type that in the early days helped to build up the Church and give her stability. His
nature must have been curiously complex; on the one hand, a man of action and with great capability of
administration, often justifying his means by the end he had in view, and not being debarred from realising his
schemes by any delicate scruples, he yet, on the other hand, presents in his letters a chastened spirituality that
is not compatible with the methods he pursued when thinking only of the temporal advantages which might
accrue on any certain line of action. But it may be said that his letters appear to date from the later period of
his life, and after he had founded the cathedral as an expiation of that sin of simony he appears to have so
deeply repented.
Yet in the earlier period, which we shall note, he was emphatically the man of action, the typical
administrator, who, mixing freely in the political life of the times, was strengthening the position of the
Church, and gradually leading her up to that position, which she ultimately gained, of Arbitress of Kings and
Empires.
He had also a morbid belief in the power of money he probably would have agreed that "every man has his
price," and his simoniacal dealings with William Rufus, which procured his preferment to Norwich, afford
evidence of this weak trait in his character.
Herbert's birthplace is disputed, and, as Dean Goulburn remarked, this is but natural: a man so justly
celebrated would not, or, rather, historians will not be content with one; so that though he cannot rival Homer
in that seven cities desired to be accredited each as his birthplace, yet Herbert falls not far short, and this fact
alone will perhaps give some idea of his popularity during his life, and the interest then aroused which has
lasted down to our own times. From a small pamphlet issued by the dean and chapter in 1896, and containing
extracts from the Registrum Primum, we learn that "In primis Ecclesiam prefatam fundavit piæ memoriæ
Herbertus Episcopus, qui Normanniæ in pago Oximensi natus." First Herbert, the bishop, of pious memory,
who was born in Normandy, in the district of Oximin (or Exmes).

CHAPTER I 9
This seems very credible, and the old monkish chronicler who was responsible for the Registrum Primum and
its rugged Latin, may have had authentic proof of the truth of his assertion. The manuscript dates from the
thirteenth century, and no considerable period, historically considered, had then passed since Herbert had been
one of the prime movers of the religious and political life of the day.
Blomefield, the antiquary, attributed to him a Suffolk extraction, and then again spoke of his Norman descent:
thus agreeing in some measure with the Registrum Primum. And again, another idea is that he was born in the
hundred of Hoxne, where he possessed property, and his father before him.
Herbert had, we know, received his education in Normandy, and had taken his vows at, and ultimately had
risen to be prior of, the Abbey of Fécamp in Normandy; and it was while vigorously administering this office
that he received an invitation from William Rufus to come to England, being offered as an inducement the
appointment of Abbot of Ramsey.
And no doubt from this period the spiritual side of his duties must of necessity have been somewhat
neglected. From the position of prior of Fécamp, his circle of power limited to the neighbourhood of his
priory, and his duties rounded by the due observance of the rules of his order, he was given at once the
administration of what was one of the richest abbeys in England, and attained at once the power of a great
feudal lord. He was Sewer to William Rufus as well, an office endowed with fees and perquisites, and so to
Herbert came the temptation of accumulating wealth for his own ambitious ends. It was not, however, the sin
of a small man: he introduced no personal element into his greed, but rather thought of his party and his
Church, although, of necessity, an environment so purely temporal told on the spiritual side of his character. It
might be best to connect the links of the East Anglian bishoprics here, although in the notes on the diocese the
matter is gone into at more length.
Herbert de Losinga was the first bishop of Norwich, to which town the see was transferred in compliance with
a decree of Lanfranc's Synod, held in 1075, that all sees should be fixed at the principal towns in their
dioceses.
Felix was the first bishop of East Anglia, and fixed his see at Dunwich in 630.
The see was divided by Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury, in 669 into those of Elmham and Dunwich; and
these again were united under Wildred in 870, and the see fixed at Elmham, and where it remained till 1070,
when Herfast, a chaplain of William the Conqueror's, moved his see to Thetford.
Now, about this time, when Herbert was abbot of Ramsey and Sewer to William Rufus, the see of Thetford

was vacant, and Herbert gave the king to understand that if he was appointed to the vacant bishopric, and his
father made Abbot of Winchester, he was willing and able to pay for such preferment a sum of £1900: a part
of his accumulated savings, no doubt, and a very large amount for that time.
William II. made these appointments, and the sum mentioned was paid into the royal treasury; but the bishop
found that he had attained his end at a cost other than he had reckoned on; public opinion in those days was
quite as powerful a force as it is now, though the channels along which its force could be felt and its strength
find expression were limited. Indignation was rife, and monkish versifiers and chroniclers protested in lines
more or less uncomplimentary, and more or less forcible, their loathing of such sin of simony.
Now it is probable that, in expiation of this transgression, Herbert came to build Norwich Cathedral. It is
certain that he almost at once repented. In after years, in his letters, he says, "I entered on mine office
disgracefully, but by the help of God's grace I shall pass out of it with credit."
In Dean Goulburn's admirable monograph on the cathedral many of Herbert's letters are given, and these alone
would go to stamp him as a wonderful man. His conscience was awakened by the popular outcry against his
CHAPTER I 10
sin of simony, he plunged into his new duties at Thetford with ardour in the vain hope of distraction, but
failed to find that consolation he had hoped to; and so about 1093 he determined on a visit to Rome to tender
his resignation and confess his sin to Pope Urban. He journeyed to Rome and was kindly received, and the
absolution he desired readily granted. The Pope was glad to see an English bishop come to him for advice,
and in granting him absolution he strengthened considerably his claim to be regarded as head of the English
Church.
This lengthy preamble may seem somewhat unjustifiable, but if we are to study any building aright, and if we
are to interpret in any measure its meaning and symbolism, it cannot wholly be done on any line of abstract
æstheticism or archæological instinct, however intuitive it may be: we must in some measure think of the
builders of old times and of the influences which with them produced its inception and have left it to come
down the ages to us.
It is interesting to note that Herbert's early French training influenced him in the planning of the beautiful
eastern termination to his cathedral, and the grand sweep of the procession path. Similar apsidal terminations,
of slightly later date, once existed at Ely, and still remain in a modified form at Peterborough.
The old tribunal arrangement of presbyters' seats with the central bishop's throne facing west, which was part
of Herbert's first plan, no doubt may safely be accredited to the influence of his journey to Rome, and where

he may have become familiar with what was the usual basilican arrangement.
Herbert returned to England, penitent and forgiven for his sin, and it is probable that the Pope had laid on him,
as a penance, an injunction to build churches and found religious houses, and that with the remainder of his
wealth he determined to transfer the see from Thetford to Norwich and to build in the latter place his cathedral
church. It would also have been in compliance with the decree of Lanfranc's Synod. The see was transferred
on the 9th of April 1094, and Herbert was consecrated on the same day by Thomas, Archbishop of York.
Norwich was then an important town; in the Middle Ages it ranked as the second city in the kingdom. Its
prosperity was chiefly due to its large trade in wool. It is a moot point whether the town was ever a settlement
of the Romans, no traces of such occupation having ever been discovered. The castle mound, no doubt,
formed some part of the earthworks of an earlier stronghold. The word Norwich is probably of Norse origin,
meaning the north village or the village on the North Creek ("wic" i.e. a creek). The city stood on a tidal bay
in 1004, in which year the Danes under Sweyn completely devastated and ruined the town in revenge for the
massacre of their countrymen by Aethelred the Unready two years before. So that the history of the town of
Norwich, as we now know it, may be said to have started directly after this.
The foundation-stone of the cathedral was laid in 1096; and upon it, according to the Registrum Primum, the
following inscription is said to have been placed: "In nomine patris et filii et spiritus Sancti Amen Ego
Herbertus Episcopus apposui istum lapidem." (In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Ghost, Amen, I, Herbert the Bishop, have placed this stone.)
It was the custom of the Norman builders to start building from the easternmost part of the church, as the
more sacred part of the structure, and then build westwards; so that probably this foundation-stone, for which
diligent search has been made in vain, was in the eastmost wall of the original Norman Lady Chapel in fact,
the Registrum Primum describes how Herbert began the work "where is now the chapel of the Blessed Mary."
This chapel was demolished to make way for the beautiful thirteenth-century Lady Chapel which Dean
Gardiner destroyed.
The thirteenth-century builders of the Lady Chapel may have used Herbert's foundation-stone in their walling;
Dean Lefroy quite lately, while repairing parts of the tower and east end, came across pieces of stone with
beautiful "dog-tooth" ornament upon them, which had been used to repair the masonry that, it was evident, at
one time had formed part of the thirteenth-century Lady Chapel. This must be so, since in no other part of the
CHAPTER I 11
building save the arches now remaining in the extreme eastern wall of the procession path, which at one time

gave access to the Lady Chapel, does such ornament occur.
It is probable, and the more generally accredited supposition, that Herbert built the presbytery with its
encircling procession path and the original trefoil of Norman chapel radiating therefrom; the choir and
transepts with the two chapels projecting eastwards and the first two bays of the nave. Harrod advances a
theory that he completely finished the whole of the cathedral church, as well as the offices for the housing of
the sixty monks who were placed therein, in 1101.
He also built the episcopal palace on the north side of the cathedral, of which some parts remain to this day
incorporated with work of a later period; he seems to have founded and built other churches in Norwich and
Yarmouth. He died on the 22nd of July 1119, in the twenty-ninth year of his episcopate, and was buried
before the high altar in his own cathedral church.
[Illustration: The Cathedral in the Seventeenth Century.]
Bishop Eborard, who succeeded in 1121, is credited with having finished the nave from the point where
Herbert had left it. The evidence which goes to support this theory is taken from the Registrum Primum.
"Moreover, the same Herbert completed the church of Norwich in his own time, as I have learned from the
account of old people, but have not found in writing, as far as the altar of the Holy Cross, which is now called
the altar of St. William. He also built all the episcopal dwelling-house, except the great hall." The altar
referred to was on the north side of choir screen.
Herbert also provided the base for the tower only, probably up to the roof level; the remainder, up to the
parapet, was finished about the time of Henry I., but at that earlier period it was without the stone spire which
now adds dignity to the cathedral from any point of view.
The roofs at this time were generally of a flat wooden construction throughout (similar to that of Peterborough
Cathedral), and probably decorated with lozenges, flowers, and symbolical devices. When recently, under
Dean Lefroy, the whitewash and paint were cleaned off from the stonework, many indications have been
found of a most beautiful scheme of colour decoration.
Though we, in this part, are following up the history of the cathedral structure, yet it may be interesting to
note that it was during the episcopate of Bishop Eborard that the boy saint, St. William of Norwich, was said
to have been martyred. He was the son of country folk who gained a living by agriculture. During his life he
worked many miracles, and by his death gave Norwich a share of his glory. It is related that he was tortured
by the Jews, and on the spot where they were discovered secretly burying him, in Thorpe Wood, a chapel was
erected called the Chapel of St. William in the Wood. Very little now remains of this structure, but the site can

still be traced. The altar before referred to was set up to his memory in Norwich Cathedral, on the north side
of the screen leading into the ante-choir.
Bishop Eborard resigned the see, or was deposed in 1145, and retired to the abbey of Fontenay, Mont-Bard,
Côte d'Or, in the South of France. He had re-enforced a mandate of Herbert's that the clergy of the diocese
should contribute to the fund in aid of the fabric.
During the episcopate of Eborard's successor, Bishop William de Turbe, the cathedral appears neither to have
gained or suffered until, about 1169 or 1170, a fire broke out in the monastic buildings; the fire-extinguishing
appliances in those days, if indeed there were any at all, could not prevent it spreading to the cathedral. It is
generally believed that the original Norman Lady Chapel was also well destroyed.
Bishop William de Turbe, although an old man at the time (he died in 1174), is said to have taken a vow that
he would not go from within twelve leucas of the cathedral, unless compelled by the direst necessity, until the
CHAPTER I 12
ravages of the flames had been repaired. He is reported to have seated himself at the door of the cathedral, and
to have begged alms for this purpose from the worshippers. The work of reparation was carried on by his
successor, John of Oxford, who may also be said to have completely finished Herbert's cathedral. He provided
the furniture of the church, the vestments, books and ornaments, and, probably, entirely re-modelled the
monastic buildings. He is also said to have built the Infirmary, of which now only three piers remain, to the
south of the cloisters.
In the years following, various works were doubtless carried on, but it is not until the time of Walter de
Suffield, about 1250, that anything important in the way of structural alteration was effected. The fire of 1169
had in part or whole destroyed the original Norman Lady Chapel, and Bishop de Turbe had restored the same
in some measure. But the cultus of the Blessed Virgin in the interval had gathered strength wonderfully;
chapels dedicated to her naturally became important, and Bishop Suffield determined to pull down the old
Norman work and rebuild a chapel in the Early English style then prevalent. Dean Goulburn, in his work on
the cathedral, estimated the size of the later chapel at 90 feet long by 30 feet wide, and these dimensions are
shown plotted in dotted lines on the plan in this book. This is longer and narrower than the size given in
previous conjectures, but Dean Goulburn had the opportunity of inspecting the foundations of the chapel,
which, with those of the still earlier one, lie buried but a few feet below the surface in a garden to the east of
the cathedral. In the same place, and over the entrance arches remaining, the height and lines of the later roof
can be seen still plainly marked on the stonework. These entrance arches are beautifully moulded and

decorated on the inside with the "dog-tooth" ornament a decoration peculiar to the Early English style.
The theological reaction which followed close on this movement led to the neglect of the chapel, and obviated
the necessity of maintaining it as a place of worship. It had probably greatly decayed; that Dean Gardiner
(1573-89), no longer needing it for services, was tempted to pull it down, as a cheaper expedient than keeping
it in repair.
In 1271 Norwich was visited by a terrific thunderstorm, when the tower was struck by lightning. The damage,
however, was not great, as, fortunately, the excessive rains which followed quenched the fire that had been
kindled. This incident, however, was the precursor of one of the stormiest periods in the history of the city and
its cathedral church. Roger de Skerning occupied the episcopal chair, and the prior was one William de
Brunham, a man of fierce and truculent disposition. An outbreak of hostilities between the citizens on the one
hand and the monks on the other, was brought about by his arbitrary assumption of power; the bishop
throughout, ostensibly preferring the safer game of a somewhat anomalous position of neutrality, is
nevertheless believed to have covertly sanctioned his proceedings.
A fair was held in Tombland to the west of the precincts annually on Trinity Sunday, and by right of ancient
custom the priors reaped large revenues by the imposition of tolls on the sales. Tombland, derived from
Tomeland, a vacant space, had originally formed part of the estate bequeathed by Herbert, the founder, to the
monks; the boundaries in course of time had become matters of controversy, and it is probable that the
citizens felt the imposition of these tolls and dues to be a real and serious grievance. A riot broke out and the
monks were driven within their gates. Had the prior at this juncture chosen to act peacefully, it is probable that
history would contain no record of the sacrilege that followed. He, however, decided to resist force by force,
and carefully generaled his monks, disposing them at the various strategic points of his domain. At the same
time he sent to Yarmouth for mercenaries these arrived and the tables were turned; the prior's forces sallied
forth from the gates and robbed and pillaged the town.
The citizens, roused to a pitch of madness, drove them and the soldiers back again within the walls of the
monastery; the bishop, instead of acting as peacemaker, appears to have preserved his position of neutrality
and quietly stopped in his palace. There was a short interval of truce, but it only served as a breath to fan the
flames; the citizens besieged the cathedral precincts, and by the means probably of slings succeeded in hurling
combustible materials into the buildings, with a result that the whole of the monastery and the cathedral itself
was soon in flames. It seems to be an established fact that the prior had placed men in the tower to shoot at the
CHAPTER I 13

citizens, and it is conjectured that they, and not the citizens, were the cause of the outbreak here.
The only part of the cathedral that escaped was the Lady Chapel; the rest was gutted, vestments and
ornaments were carried off, and the monks for the most part slain.
So ended the first part of this lamentable chapter in the history of Norwich. A sentence of excommunication
was passed on the city, and King Henry hastened to Norwich to preside at the trial of the prisoners.
The accounts which have come down to us are as varied as might be expected, the chroniclers of the one
party, of course, blaming the other side; it seems, however, to have been proved "that, after all, the church was
burnt by that accursed prior"; but many of the citizens were hung, drawn and quartered, and the city had to
pay in all 3000 marks towards repairing the church and monastical buildings, and to provide a gold pyx,
weighing ten pounds, of gold; the monks in their turn had to make new gates and entrances into the precincts.
The St. Ethelbert's Gate-house was part of the work imposed on the monks; it is of early Decorated character
and was erected probably early in the fourteenth century.
Bishop Roger de Skerning had died in retirement on the 22nd of January 1277, and in the meantime the work
of reparation had proceeded with such vigour that on Advent Sunday 1278 his successor, Bishop Middleton,
was inaugurated with great state; Edward I. and his Queen with the Bishops of London, Hereford, and
Waterford being present. He does not seem to have done much in the way of building, though the work of
reparation was carried on; he died in 1287, and it was left to his successor, Bishop Ralph de Walpole, to begin
the work of rebuilding the cloisters. The original Norman cloisters, which had endured until the time of the
great fire in 1272, were probably of wood. It was determined to rebuild them in stone in the prevailing style.
The cloisters are described in more detail in the notes on the interior of the cathedral, so that it will be
sufficient to state here that their building spread over a period of one hundred and thirty-three years, and that
they were finished during the episcopate of Bishop Alnwick.
[Illustration: West Front of the Cathedral in 1816.]
Bishop Walpole built the eastern walk of the cloisters, together with the chapter-house; he was translated to
Ely about 1299, and the work carried on by his successor, Bishop Salmon, who built the south walk, also a
chapel and hall attached to the bishop's palace. Of this nothing remains in the garden of the palace except a
grand ruin, which is supposed to have formed the entrance or porch to the hall.
He founded also the chapel dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, converted by Edward VI. into, and now used
as, a grammar school; below it was a charnel-house.
Continuing the history of the fabric, we can pass on to the episcopate of Bishop Percy, during which, about

1361, the wooden spire and parts of central tower of the cathedral were blown down by a violent gale of wind,
and the presbytery was greatly damaged by the falling material. This bishop rebuilt the present clerestory,
designed in the transitional style between Decorated and Perpendicular; the vault is later. It is also probable
that he repaired the spire.
During Bishop Wakering's time the Erpingham gate of the close was erected, and as well the cloister that
formerly connected the palace on the north side with the cathedral. He also founded a chantry for one monk at
his tomb.
His successor, Alnwick, completed the cloisters. The gateway to the palace was built by him about 1430, and
probably replaced an earlier structure. He also began the work of remodelling the central compartment of the
west front. He left directions in his will to his executors to make a large west window, the cost to be charged
to his estate. The doorway under this window, built over the old Norman one, and encroaching on the side
arcading, was executed during his episcopate, the window being eventually added during the time of Bishop
CHAPTER I 14
Lyhart to throw additional light on to the vault he erected, and its wonderful sculptures.
In 1446, on February 27th, Walter Lyhart, or le Hart, was consecrated, and it is to him that Norwich Cathedral
owes the superb lierne vault that now spans the nave. Other important works were carried out by him; the
spire which had been blown down in 1362 (and had probably been re-constructed by Bishop Percy though
there is no record of such work), was struck by lightning in 1463, and the burning mass fell through the
presbytery roof, which up till this period was still in wood, completely destroying it, and making necessary
the vault added by Lyhart's successor.
During this episcopate the rood screen was erected, and a sumptuous monument placed over the grave of the
founder.
The stone spire must have been added about this time, replacing the former wooden construction.
Bishop Lyhart left to his successor, Bishop Goldwell, in his will 2200 marks for repairing the dilapidations
caused by the fire of 1463. During this bishop's episcopate we find that the cathedral was brought nearly to
that state in which we have it now, the tower was still further adorned with Perpendicular battlements, the
presbytery was vaulted in with stone, and the flying-buttresses added around the eastern apse to take the
consequent thrust of the new vault.
Internally, also, the lower stages of the presbytery were Perpendicularised by the addition of the four centred
arches that still remain, and in the second bay of which, eastward from the tower, on the south side, was

erected Bishop Goldwell's altar tomb.
His successor, Lane, occupied the see but a short while, 1499-1500, and in turn was succeeded by Bishop
Nykke he is more generally called Nix (snow), sarcastically, as his character appears to have been of the
blackest. During his episcopate, the cathedral was again visited by fire in 1509. The sacristy, with all the
books and ornaments, was consumed, and the wooden roofs of both transepts totally destroyed.
Bishop Nykke constructed the stone vaulting that, covering both arms of the church, completed the stone
vaulting throughout the cathedral. His chantry, which is on the south side of the nave, and occupies two bays
of the aisle, was arranged by him before his death, and its richness is inversely proportionate to the
degradation of his character.
The tracery in the Norman arch leading from the south aisle of the presbytery into the transept, is of late
Perpendicular style, and was added by Robert of Calton, who was destined to be the last prior but one of
Norwich: William Castleton was the last prior and the first dean. Bishop Nykke died in 1535-6, and was
succeeded by William Rupgg or Repes, who was the last bishop elected by the chapter of the monks of the
Benedictine monastery of Norwich. Monasticism was doomed; Wolsey had fallen, and his property had been
confiscated in 1529. The smaller monasteries were dissolved in 1536, and in 1538 the greater shared the same
fate, among them Norwich.
Most interesting is the parallel which can be drawn between the history of the Church and of that architecture
which she especially fostered. Gothic or Christian art was developed from the remains of a Roman
civilisation, and so long as it had the healthy organic growth which was consequent on the evolution of a
series of constructive problems fairly faced and in turn conquered, and again, stimulated by the growth of the
Church, to which it was handmaiden, developed style after style in regular sequence, until the builders,
finding they had conquered construction, took to imposing ornament. From that time, instead of ornamenting
construction, they constructed ornament; and as the Reformation came to the Church in the sixteenth century
so to architecture came degradation. And then the Renaissance of pagan types, from which the Gothic had
derived its being by a rational development, was by the revivalists of those days hotch-potched into a more or
less homogeneous mass, which even the genius of Wren could leave but coldly pedantic.
CHAPTER I 15
The history of the architecture of the cathedral might safely stop with the Dissolution of the Monasteries in
1538, since when it is a mere recapitulation of the doings and undoings of various sets of more or less deeply
incriminated fanatics and restorers.

So that we do not feel inclined to enter into more detail, in the few remaining notes on the history of the
structure.
Dean Gardiner, 1573-89, was a great reformer, and, as we have already noted, pulled down the
thirteenth-century Lady Chapel, and as well the chapter-house.
In 1643 the cathedral was taken possession of by Cromwell's soldiers, and the work of spoliation carried on.
The organ was probably destroyed at this time, for Dean Crofts set up a new organ in 1660, the case of which
was re-modelled in 1833, and still remains. It is also perhaps needless to state that the cathedral was
repeatedly whitewashed during the eighteenth century.
In June 1801 a fire broke out in the roof of the nave, but was extinguished before much damage had been
done.
The various works effected during this century are mentioned specifically elsewhere in these notes, under the
headings of the parts of the building where they have occurred.
[Illustration: The Cathedral from the South-West Angle of Cloisters.]
CHAPTER I 16
CHAPTER II
THE CATHEDRAL EXTERIOR
Norwich Cathedral does not tell to great advantage from the outside: its chief charm is undoubtedly the
interior. It stands in a hollow, on what is probably the lowest ground in the city. The best view of the cathedral
is obtained from the low ground to the eastward near the river, and close to Pull's Ferry; here the extreme
length of the nave, which Fergusson remarked justified the addition of western towers, is lost partly by
foreshortening, and by the projection forward of the south transept, over which the old Norman tower, with its
later battlements and spire, rises grandly above the sweep of the apse, with the still remaining circular chapels
below.
#The Cathedral Precincts#, or Close, running from Tombland eastward to the river, are entered by two gates
to the precincts and one to the bishop's palace.
#The Erpingham Gate#, opposite the west front of the cathedral, was built by Sir Thomas Erpingham, and as
an architectural compilation "is original and unique." In elevation it consists of one lofty well-proportioned
arch supported on either side by semi-hexagonal buttresses taken up as high as the apex of arch; above comes
a plain gable, in which, centred over the arch below, is a canopied niche with the kneeling figure of Sir
Thomas Erpingham.

Built probably about 1420, and while yet some of the noble simplicity of the thirteenth had not passed into the
over-wrought richness of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, it presents a type of the best Perpendicular
work we have in England.
The form of the arch is lofty, and may have been suggested by the wish to preserve a view through of the
cathedral.
The arch moulding is enriched on the outer part with figures of fourteen female saints, and on the inner with
twelve male saints; the semi-hexagonal panelled buttresses are covered with the shields of the families of
Erpingham, Clopton, and Walton, and each has a seated figure of an ecclesiastic on the top.
[Illustration: The Erpingham Gate.]
The richness of this lower arch stage tells against the plain gable over, and is quite admirable in effect and
defensible as a method of design; it is ornament decorating construction pure and simple, and not what later
work generally was and is, constructed ornament, suggesting over-elaborate construction thereby made
necessary. It will be noticed that labels with the word "Yenk" (think) sculptured thereon are placed between
the shafts on either side of the archway; this has been construed "pend" by some writers, and from this the
view was taken that Sir Thomas Erpingham was made to build the gate as a penance for favouring Lollardism,
and that the figure of himself in the gable over the archway represents him as praying pardon for the offence.
This interpretation, however, amusing as it is, is probably erroneous, and the gate, with its shields of allied
families, stands to the memory of its founder. Sir Thomas Erpingham was at Agincourt in 1415, and
Shakespeare, in Act iv. of Henry V., remarks of him that he was "a knight grown grey with age and honour."
Sir Thomas Browne also (p. 9 of his "Repertorium") says: "He was a Knight of the Garter in the time of
Henry IV. and some part of Henry V., and I find his name in the list of the Lord Wardens of the Cinque
Ports."
Sir Thomas Erpingham had two wives, Joan Clopton and Joan Walton, whose arms appear on the gateway.
[Illustration: St. Ethelbert's Gate.]
CHAPTER II 17
#St. Ethelbert's Gate#, to the south, is an early "Decorated" structure. Its elevation is divided into three
storeys, in the lowest of which is the gateway, with flat buttresses on each side carried up the height of two
storeys, and enriched with pedimented niches in both stages. In the compartment over the arch are seven
niches, four of which are pierced with windows. The upper stage is in flintwork. It was built by the citizens as
part of the fine imposed on them for their share in the riots and fire of 1272 by the Court of King Henry III.,

though probably not until some years had elapsed, and when Edward the First had come to the throne. The
upper part of the front was restored early in this century. The back elevation is interesting the window over
the arch being typical of the style.
[Illustration: The Gate-House of the Bishop's Palace.]
#The Gate-House# forming the entrance to the bishop's palace, on the north side of the cathedral, was built by
Bishop Alnwyck about 1430, and probably replaced an earlier structure; it is an interesting piece of
Perpendicular work, and consists, in the lower stage, of a gate and doorway under a deep horizontal band
ornamented with plain shields and monograms of the Virgin. The gateway on the left side reaches up to the
horizontal bands, and has spandrels on either side; the doorway is smaller. Above are two windows with a
niche between, and over all is a parapet of modern work. Flat buttresses flank the entire composition on either
side. The wooden gates were added by Bishop Lyhart (1446-72).
Returning to the Erpingham gate, and entering the Close through it, immediately on our left we come to the
#Chapel of St. John the Evangelist# (converted by Edward VI., and still used as a school), founded by Bishop
Salmon (1299-1325). This building replaced an older structure, used as a charnel, and provision was made for
this need in the new edifice; the vaults under the chapel were used for the same purpose. The porch is a later
building added by Lyhart (1446-72).
#The West Front of the Cathedral# has probably received worse treatment than any other portion of the
building, and stands now as the most unsatisfactory part of the whole. The design consists in its width of three
compartments, with two separating and two flanking turrets. The centre compartment is of the width of the
nave, and those on either side the width of the aisles. In the centre comes the main doorway, flanked on either
side with niches, and over these, filling the entire breadth, the great nine-light west window, with the Norman
turrets carried up to the base of the gable. The compartments on either side are finished off by horizontal
mouldings taken across somewhat below the level of the springing of the archivolt of the main window, and
have flanking turrets covered with plain pinnacles. The large west window is disproportionate, and even the
assurance cheerfully given by most authorities, that it resembles the window of Westminster Hall, fails to
prove that it is of suitable size here. It may be as well to note in order the various changes which have affected
the west front. Mr B.W. Spaull, in Dean Goulburn's work on the Cathedral, made reference to the discovery of
an alteration to the main entrance which must have been prior to that now existing. It consisted of a small
parvise or room added above at some time subsequent to the original foundation. As the details are not now
apparent, it is best to refer readers to the work named for fuller information.

The addition, however, of later Perpendicular triforium windows to the nave superimposed over the original
Norman lights, which were blocked up, may have affected the west front. This can best be seen by viewing,
for instance, the south side of the nave. The Norman roofs sloped down to the original triforium windows, but
after the later addition were made almost flat, and must have necessitated some mask wall in the west front.
[Illustration: West Front of the Cathedral.]
In Britton's "History of Norwich" is a drawing which is reproduced at p. 15. It will be seen that the turrets at
each side of the west window are shown finished with stone cupolas, the tops of which were level with the
apex of the gable. The two outside flanking turrets are shown finished by circular drums above the parapet,
and covered with leaden cupolas; these, with the Perpendicular battlements, were probably added as the mask
before referred to, and necessitated by the imposition of an additional storey at the triforium level. Certainly
CHAPTER II 18
the west front, as shown then, was better far than now. However, in 1875, "restoration" set in, and these
cupolas were removed, and stone "pepper-box" pinnacles imposed on the turrets in their stead. The gable was
restored, and the character of the work wholly destroyed, crocketted where before plain, and the niche added
in the place of the small light over the vault shown in Britton's plate. In the side compartments the
Perpendicular battlementing was removed and the round cannon ball holes gratuitously inserted.
The two pinnacles at the sides of the west window have since been removed.
The earlier change in the central compartment of the front from Norman to Perpendicular was effected by the
additions of the door and window still remaining. Bishop Alnwyck, who was translated to Lincoln in 1436,
added the doorway during his episcopate, and it was probably built right over and covering the original
Norman door and arcading. He also left provision in his will for the west window, and this was added by
Bishop Lyhart (1446-72), to throw additional light on to the vaulting and sculptures of the nave; from the
inside it will be seen that it completely fills the width of the nave, and follows the line of the vault up.
The north side of the cathedral lies within the gardens of the bishop's palace, which can be entered from the
interior of the cathedral, through a small door in the north aisle of the presbytery; the eastern end of the
cathedral also lies within a private garden, but permission to enter it can usually be obtained.
#Exterior of Nave.# Those portions of the precincts near the western end of the cathedral are known as the
Upper Close; and, walking round the exterior of the cloisters, we come to the Lower Close. The nave on the
south side can be seen well either from the upper or lower Close, and can be better examined in detail from
the interior of the cloisters. Its elevation consists of fourteen bays divided by flat Norman buttresses. In height

it is composed of what, at first sight, appears a bewildering confusion of arches, arcades, and windows. Over
the aisle windows, hidden by the north walk of cloisters, comes a Norman wall arcading; and over this the
Norman triforium windows blocked up, and again, above the later Perpendicular triforium, superimposed on
the old, and finished with a battlemented parapet. Behind this come the triforium roof, and then beyond the
original Norman clerestory, each bay with a triple arch formation, the centre arch pierced for a window. And
then above all, the lead roof over nave vault.
The radical changes that have taken place since the nave was built by Bishop Eborard (1121-45) consist of the
insertion in the aisles of later "Decorated" traceried windows in place of the original Norman ones, and of the
superimposition, before referred to, at triforium level of a whole range of "Perpendicular" windows over the
old Norman work, which were blocked up at this period. The pristine aspect, then, of this elevation of the
nave would have shown a sloping roof over the aisles where now the later addition occurs. The battlementing,
too, over the clerestory to the nave is later work, to correspond with battlementing over the triforium
windows. It will be noticed that the two bays next the transept in the triforium are higher than the others, in
order to throw additional light into the choir.
Also on this same south side, in the seventh and eighth bays from the west end, two very late windows occur,
inserted in the Norman arcading under the original triforium windows; these were inserted by Bishop Nykke
to light the chapel he built in two bays of the south aisle of the nave.
The curious raking of the lead rolls to the nave roof is noticeable; the mediæval builders did this with a view
of counteracting the "crawl" of the lead. Lead, under the variations of temperature of the atmosphere, expands
and contracts considerably; and from its own weight, and the steepness of the roofs, the contraction takes
place in a downward direction, and starts the joints, letting in the weather. This raking of the vertical rolls was
a device whereby the old builders in some measure got over their difficulty by inducing a fixed expansion and
contraction.
[Illustration: The Clerestory and Triforium of Choir (South Side).]
CHAPTER II 19
#The South Transept# projects boldly forward from under the tower; without aisles, its ridge and parapet
correspond in height to those of the nave; this narrowness, with the tower and spire showing over behind,
gives it an appearance of height, as approached from the lower close. This effect of height is emphasised by
the partition of the design in its width, by flat Norman buttresses, with shafts in the angles, and by the flat
faces of the flanking turrets. The work, however, is without interest, from the fact that, though the ensemble in

some measure has been retained, the whole of the exterior face of the stonework was re-cased by Salvin,
1830-40, during which period various restorations were effected. Before these alterations, the Norman
flanking turrets finished with a "Perpendicular" battlementing, enriched with shields and quatrefoils, and with
crocketted pinnacles set at the four angles; this battlementing was removed, and the present uninteresting
pepper-boxes took their place. No doubt they have it in their favour that they may be more like the original
Norman terminations than were those they replaced, which were, however, real "Perpendicular," and these are
only sham Norman. Originally, from the eastward side of the south transept, projected a semi-circular chapel,
shown on plan by dotted lines, and corresponding to that still remaining on the north side of the cathedral. It
was part of the original plan, and though we believe no record exists of its destruction, it can safely be
premised that its fate came about through the cultus of the saint to whom it was dedicated declining, and
consequent neglect and ruin following made its destruction cheaper than its reparation. It was replaced by a
sacristy in the fifteenth century, the lines of roof to which can still be seen over on the stonework. This later
sacristy was destroyed by the fire of 1509, that burned as well the wooden roofs of the transepts, and
necessitated the stone vaults added by Bishop Nykke.
#The Diocesan Registry Offices# now occupy the space on which once stood the Norman chapel, and later the
Sacristy.
The building projecting eastward, south of this space, and marked A on plan, was once a chapel, said by
Blomefield to have been dedicated to St. Edmund. It is now used as the #Dean's Vestry# in the lower storey,
and as the #Chapter Clerk's Office# in the upper.
At the same time that the later restorations were effected to the south transept, the groined #Slype# and
singing-school above it were destroyed, and the present door in the south transept from the lower close was
opened. A pre-restoration view is published of the east end of the cathedral, showing the slype, in Britton's
"Norwich." The visitor should also bear in mind that this space immediately in front of the south transept was
originally occupied by the #Chapter-House#, situated as shown by dotted lines on plan, and separated from
the cathedral by the slype. The entrance arches to the chapter-house from the east walk of the cloisters still
remain and fix definitely its position; it projected eastward about eighty feet.
#The Tower and Spire# mark the crossing of the choir and transepts, the tower only being Norman, and square
on plan, with flat Norman buttresses, covered with vertical shafts on the face of each. These buttresses start
from the level of the parapets to Nave, Transept, and Presbytery, and rise right up until, well over the parapet
of the tower, they are finished by crocketted pinnacles. Between these buttresses are horizontal bands of

design: the lowest, a Norman arcade of nine arches, three of which are pierced as windows; then, above this, a
smaller wall arcade with interlaced arches; and then, above again, the principal feature, an arcading of nine
arches, three pierced for windows, and the others filled with wall tracery of diamonds and circles; then,
between this last and the battlemented parapet, occur five vertical panels, each comprising two circles, the
upper pierced for a window. Above, soaring upward, rises the later crocketted spire. Herbert, the founder,
provided the foundations of tower, and probably carried up the walls to the level of the nave roof; the rest of
the tower was finished during the reign of Henry I., and is a beautiful specimen of the work of that time; but
here again our sentiment and sympathy experience a shock when we learn that the stonework was almost
entirely refaced in 1856. The tower was crowned by a wooden spire from 1297; this was blown down in 1361,
and probably brought away in its fall some part of the Norman turrets of the tower. It fell eastward, damaging
the presbytery so badly that the clerestory had to be rebuilt. The wooden spire was reconstructed probably at
the same time, though no record exists of such work, and the present Early Perpendicular turrets were added.
The spire, we know, was again overtaken by misfortune in 1463, when it was struck by lightning, and again
CHAPTER II 20
falling eastward, went through the presbytery roof. The present spire was then constructed in stone by Bishop
Lyhart (1446-72), and was finished by his successor, Bishop Goldwell (1472-99), who added the battlements.
[Illustration: The Tower in 1816.]
It will hardly be necessary to enlarge on the beauty of this spire of Norwich, as the dominant feature, seen
from the south-east, rising above the curved sweep of the apse, and strongly buttressed by the south transept,
it stands up, clearly defined against the western sky, and points upward, significant and symbolical at once of
the ends and aspirations of the church below.
#The Eastern Arm of Cathedral or Presbytery# takes its history from the tower. Here, as in the nave, there are
the original triforium windows blocked up, and a range of Perpendicular work superimposed on the old.
Above and beyond this, supported between each bay by flying buttresses, comes the transitional Decorated to
Perpendicular clerestory, considerably higher than the original Norman clerestory remaining to the nave. At
the base of each flying buttress are figures of saints. The roof and Norman clerestory were damaged by the
falling tower in 1361, but were rebuilt by Bishop Percy, 1355-69. This work is transitional Decorated to
Perpendicular. The presbytery was then re-roofed with a framed timber construction, which was consumed by
the falling of the burning spire, struck by lightning in 1463. The present stone vault was added in its place by
Bishop Goldwell, 1472-99. This necessitated the addition as well of flying buttresses to take the thrust of the

vault.
The battlementing to the presbytery also was added at the same time as the flying buttresses.
It will also be noted that here, as in the nave, an addition was made in the way of a range of later
"Perpendicular" windows superimposed over the original Norman triforium, which was blocked up.
#The Chapel of St. Mary-the-Less#, marked B on plan, projects southward from the presbytery, and dates
from the fourteenth century. Between this and the circular Norman chapel of St. Luke, was Bishop
Wakeryng's chapel. It has long since disappeared, but the doorway of Perpendicular design remained until
about 1841, when it was removed and the compartment Normanised a piece of wanton vandalism and the
destruction of an historical link.
The circular Norman chapels, of which two remain, are very interesting. In the original plan of the founder
there were three; but the easternmost was superseded by Early English structure, which in its turn was
demolished.
#The Chapel of Saint Luke#, marked C on plan, flanking the south side of the apse, was much restored in the
sixties; in Britton's "Norwich," published in 1816, late "Decorated" windows are shown; these were replaced
by modern Norman. Its form is peculiar; on plan, that of two circles interpenetrating. On elevation, in the
lower stage, are the modern Norman windows, with shafts in jambs, over which occur two tiers of arcading, in
the higher of which window openings are pierced. The position of the Norman Lady Chapel is shown by
dotted lines, as well as the rectangular shape of the Early English chapel built by Walter de Suffield (1245-57)
about 1250. The line of the roof of the later chapel can still be seen plainly traced on the stonework over the
arches which once gave entrance to it. This later chapel was destroyed by Dean Gardiner in Queen Elizabeth's
reign. The foundations of both chapels have been laid open quite recently but a few feet under the level of the
garden.
[Illustration: Exterior of the Chapel of St. Luke from the East.]
#The Jesus Chapel#, marked D on plan, on the north side of the apse, retains the early "Perpendicular"
windows inserted in the Norman work; its other characteristics are as those described to St. Luke's Chapel in
the south.
CHAPTER II 21
On the north side of the presbytery, and to the west of the Jesus Chapel, were other chapels, shown on the plan
by dotted lines; the positions of their roofs are clearly marked yet on the stonework. One must have been the
#Reliquary Chapel#; the bridge chapel in the north aisle of presbytery formed its ante-chapel.

#The North Transept#, and generally the north side of the cathedral, are more conveniently examined from the
gardens of the bishop's palace, whence this portion of the exterior of the cathedral can best be seen.
The details of the fabric on the north side are essentially the same as those described to the south side of
cathedral; though here the work has been less restored, and consequently is of more interest to the student.
The original Norman chapel, now used as a store-house, projects eastward from the north transept; a
corresponding feature occurred in the south transept, but has long since vanished.
#The Bishop's Palace# stands to the north of the cathedral, and was formerly connected with it by a vaulted
passage, Herbert, the founder, built the first palace, of which portions are incorporated in the present building.
Bishop Salmon (1299-1325) in 1318, according to the patent rolls of the twelfth year of the reign of Edward
II., obtained licence to buy a piece of land 47 perches 4 feet in length, and 23 perches 12 feet in breadth, to
enlarge and rebuild thereon the palace of Herbert. He also built a chapel, and the great hall, measuring 120
feet from north to south, and 60 feet wide, with kitchen, buttery, and offices at the west end. The grand ruin
somewhat to the east of the palace now is supposed to have formed part of the entrance to this hall. It was,
however, too large to keep up, and so was leased by Bishop Nykke, just before his death in 1535 to the mayor,
sheriff, and citizens, so that the Guild of S. George might hold their annual feast there. Later on it became a
meeting-house. The present private chapel of the bishop was built by Bishop Reynolds in 1662 across part of
the south end.
To the north of the nave of the cathedral, and on the west side of the palace, was an open area called the
green-yard, and in Sir Thomas Browne's "Works," vol. iv. p. 27 (London, 1835) is an account of the
combination sermons which were preached here in the summer prior to the Reformation.
"Before the late times the combination sermons were preached, in the summer time, at the Cross in the Green
Yard where there was a good accommodation for the auditors. The mayor, aldermen, with their wives and
officers, had a well-contrived place built against the wall of the Bishop's palace, covered with lead, so that
they were not offended by rain. Upon the north side of the church, places were built gallery wise, one above
another, where the dean, prebends and their wives, gentlemen, and the better sort, very well heard the sermon:
the rest either stood or sat in the green, upon long forms provided for them, paying a penny or half-penny
a-piece, as they did at S. Paul's Cross in London. The Bishop and chancellor heard the sermons at the
windows of the Bishop's palace: the pulpit had a large covering of lead over it, and a cross upon it; and there
were eight or ten stairs of stone about it, upon which the hospital boys and others stood. The preacher had his
face to the south, and there was a painted board of a foot and a half broad and about a yard and a half long

hanging over his head, before, upon which were painted the names of the benefactors towards the
Combination Sermon which he particularly commemorated in his prayer "
On the north side of the cathedral, in the seventh compartment of the aisle from the west end, the walled-up
entrance to the green-yard is to be noticed.
There is no doubt that this space was originally the cemetery of the monks, and Harrod quotes from the
Chronicle of John de Whethamsted to that effect. A stone coffin lid found here in 1848 goes to confirm this.
CHAPTER II 22
CHAPTER III
THE INTERIOR
Norwich Cathedral is justly celebrated for the beauty of its interior. Entering from the upper close by the north
aisle door, and then taking a position immediately under the great west window, facing east, there is before
one the long perspective of the Norman nave, the choir and presbytery, while overhead comes the later vault,
telling richly by contrast with the severe plainness of the earlier work below. The extreme length of the
cathedral is about 407 feet. The nave, always long in Norman churches, is here over 200 feet from the west
door to the choir screen. Although some critics object to the position of the organ on this same screen, there
can be no doubt that, not only is it a most admirable position for the instrument acoustically, but also that its
presence here does not detract from the general effect of the interior. From the west end of the nave, as a dark
silhouette against the eastern apsidal windows, or as an object in the middle distance, it helps the spectator to
realise the length of the cathedral. A certain sense of mystery and something undiscerned adds to the charm of
an interior, and the organ here helps, with the screen, to enshrine the eastern arm and most sacred portion of
the building, and interrupts the vista for the sake of which disastrous sacrifices have been made in many of our
cathedral churches.
#The Nave# consists of seven double bays; in all, fourteen compartments from the west end to the tower
crossing.
It will be noticed that, in the plan (page 113), a square of the nave, occupying longitudinally the space of two
bays of the aisles, is indicated by the dotted lines; also a main pier is marked as Y and a subsidiary pier as z.
The main piers, as at Y, are large rectangular masses, having on the nave side a flat buttress-like piece added,
with shafts in the angles, and bearing on the face the two vaulting shafts. On the aisle side are two shafts to
each transverse arch; and on the two lateral faces are triple shafts to the arcade arches, with four angle shafts
at each corner of the main pier, taking the outer rings to same. The plan is the same at the triforium level. The

smaller or subsidiary piers (as at X) have single vaulting shafts on the nave face, double ones to the aisle, and
under the arcade arches convex faces, with four angle shafts, as in main piers. The plan of these piers
determines the elevation. The nave arcade arches, ornamented with the billet, and triforium with a chevron or
zig-zag, are almost equal in size, and over these lower stages comes the typical triple Norman clerestory with
walk; the whole covered in by the fine lierne vault.
[Illustration: A Norman Capital.]
The vault has thirteen complete bays and two semi-bays, one at either end. The junctions between this later
vault and the Norman work can be seen. The main piers had the original double shafts cut off at the level of
the top of the triforium arches, the later single shaft being brought down and joined by a peculiar branch-like
connection. The original shafts to the subsidiary piers, which it is probable took only a minor part in carrying
the flat Norman wooden roof, were finished by a cap at the impost level of the triforium, and the later shaft
was brought down and finished by the rebus of Bishop Lyhart, the constructor of the vault. This rebus should
be noticed; it is a pun in stone, with its hart lying in water. It will also be noticed that the outer arches of the
triforium are not concentric with the sub-arches.
[Illustration: The Nave, looking East.]
The bases of the shafts have been Perpendicularised, probably when the vault was added, and the Norman
character of the lateral shafts spoilt by scraping.
The building of the nave is usually attributed to Bishop Eborard (1121-45), but some eminent archæologists
believe that the whole cathedral, nave and all, was built by Herbert, 1091-1119, the first bishop and founder.
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We believe there is no documentary evidence against this theory. The Registrum Primum says: "Moreover, the
same Herbert completed the church of Norwich in his own time, as I have learned from the account of old
people, but have not found in writing, as far as the altar of the holy cross, which is now called the altar of S.
William."
The billet enrichment on the main arches, and the chevron or zig-zag on those of the triforium, have been
looked upon as indicating that this part of the building the five western bays of nave is later than the
presbytery, the arches there lacking this ornament. But as these are quite the earliest forms of ornament used
by the Norman builders, their occurrence here at Norwich cannot prove much. It is better perhaps to reserve
judgment, and be content with merely stating the facts and the more generally accredited theories as to the age
of the western part of the nave.

The subsidiary circular columns in the fifth bay of the nave from the west end should be noticed. A small
enriched shaft in the clerestory of the north transept is here illustrated. This very beautiful style of treatment
was common to the Norman builder, with the Romanesque, and the Romans before them.
#The Choir Screen# crosses the nave between the subsidiary piers to the sixth bay. Of the original work
erected by Bishop Lyhart, 1446-72, the sub-structure of the present screen is the only portion remaining.
Traces of two altars, one on either side of the doorway, can still be seen; these were originally dedicated to St.
William of Norwich and St. Mary. These altars were enclosed in chapels formed by screens coming forward
to the extent of half the bay, and stopped against the main nave piers on either side the double vaulting shafts
on the face of which are stopped by corbels, carved as heads, at about the height that the chapels would have
reached. They were vaulted over, and above came the rood loft and organ. The rood loft was damaged by the
Puritans, and probably removed after the Restoration. Dean Crofts, in 1660, set up a new organ.
In Britton's "Norwich," 1816, the upper stage of the choir screen is shown divided into square panels,
occurring vertically over the lower stage; the screens to the chapels before referred to having been destroyed.
In 1833 Salvin remodelled the choir, and turned his attention to the choir screen: the organ was placed in its
present position, and cased with the frame of that instrument which Dean Crofts had set up in 1660; and the
overhanging vault to the screen was added.
#The Nave Vault# (height 72 feet), which was added by Bishop Lyhart, 1446-72, took the place of the
original Norman wooden roof destroyed by fire in 1463. This earlier Norman roof was most probably like that
now existing at Peterborough, and was no doubt profusely decorated with colour. The vault is of
Perpendicular design, and known as lierne; such vaults may be distinguished by the fact that between the main
ribs, springing from the vaulting shafts, are placed cross ribs forming a pattern, as it were, and bracing the
main ribs, but not in any great measure structural. This vault at Norwich may be taken as typical of the last
legitimate development of the stone roof; it was the precursor of the later fan vaulting, such as we find in
Henry VII.'s chapel at Westminster, where legitimate construction was replaced by ostentatious ingenuity and
the accumulation of needless ornament and detail.
The carved bosses here at Norwich, occurring at the intersection of the ribs, are worth careful study. Those
who care to go into the matter in the fullest detail should consult Dean Goulburn's book published in 1876,
which not only gives an admirable history of the fabric and the See, but enters fully into the detail and
symbolic meaning of each of the 328 bosses.
In this list, compiled from that volume, mention is made only of those bosses on the main longitudinal rib of

the vault; it is hoped that this method will enable the visitor to readily enter into the meaning of any group of
bosses, by providing a keynote to the whole. The subjects are taken from Bible history, and each epoch is
usually grouped around some central incident figured on the main longitudinal ribs. In each bay No. 4 is the
large central boss.
CHAPTER III 24
[Illustration: The Choir Screen and Organ from the Nave.]
#The Easternmost Bay No. 1.#
(1.) The Creation of Light. (2.) A Figure of the Almighty. (3.) A White Hart. (4.) The Temptation. (5.) A
White Swan. (6.) The Death of Cain.
#The Second Bay No. 2.#
(1.) Cain driven out as a Fugitive. (2.) Noah building the Ark. (3.) Noah's Drunkenness. (4.) The Ark on the
Waters. (5.) Meaning indefinite. (6.) Noah planting the Vine.
#The Third Bay No. 3.#
(1.) The Building of the Tower of Babel. (2.) The Tower of Babel shown as Feudal Fortress. (3.) Abraham
entertaining an Angel. (4.) Abraham sacrificing Isaac. (5.) Jacob deceiving Isaac. (6.) Isaac blessing Esau.
#The Fourth Bay No. 4.#
(1.) Sarah at the Door of Abraham's House. (2.) Jacob going to Padan-Aram. (3.) Jacob wrestling with the
Angel. (4.) Jacob pilling the Green Poplar Rods. (5.) Jacob's Ladder. (6.) Jacob making the Covenant with
Laban.
#The Fifth Bay No. 5.#
(1.) Jacob sending Joseph to his Brethren. (2.) Joseph journeying to his Brethren. (3.) Joseph stripped of his
Coat of Many Colours. (4.) Joseph cast into the Pit. (5.) Joseph sold to the Ishmaelite Merchants. (6.) Joseph
set up over the Egyptians.
#The Sixth Bay No. 6.#
(1.) Joseph selling corn. (2.) Moses in the Ark of Bulrushes. (3.) The Angel appearing to Moses in the Burning
Bush. (4.) The Overthrow of the Egyptians in the Red Sea. (5.) The Ark of the Covenant. (6.) Samson rending
the Lion.
#The Seventh Bay No. 7.#
(1.) Samson taking the Gates of the City of Gaza. (2.) David smiting Goliath. (3.) David cutting off Goliath's
Head. (4.) David crowned. (5.) David charging Solomon. (6.) Solomon enthroned.

#The Eighth Bay No. 8.#
(1.) Solomon enthroned. (2.) The Annunciation. (3.) The Presentation in the Temple. (4.) The Nativity. (5.)
The Visitation. (6.) Herod decreeing the Massacre of the Innocents.
#The Ninth Bay No. 9.#
(1.) The Flight into Egypt. (2.) Christ in the midst of the Doctors. (3.) The Marriage in Cana of Galilee. (4.)
The Baptism of Our Lord. (5.) The Raising of Lazarus. (6.) The Supper in Bethany.
#The Tenth Bay No. 10.#
CHAPTER III 25